Carnegie Hall

I spent 2 years with the Benny Goodman septet in the 70s playing with Benny every night a marvelous experience. In 1988 I did the 50th anniversary at Carnegie Hall of the historic Benny Goodman 1938 concertl. Bob Wilber led the band and we did the exact program from 1938 in the same order. Anyone who was there in 38 was allowed to sit on stage with the band and these were the famous “Bobby Soxers” now in the 60s and 70s. As I was playing I could see decades dropping off their faces as they relived that historic night when jazz and swing became the national music of the country and it was thrilling for me and one of the high points in my career. Issac Stern did the intermission and talked about his love for jazz as a young man visiting 52nd street when he first came to NY. At the end Benny Goodman’s daughter presented Issac Stern with Benny’s clarinet for the Carnegie Hall archives as this was the first time jazz was ever in Carnegie Hall. I played lead trumpet and jazz that night sitting in Harry James chair. Here are a few tracks from the night the jam had an all star band that included Doc Cheatum , Norris Turney , Buddy Tate , Al Grey , Al Casey , John Bunch and Panama Francis. Doc takes the first solo and I follow him.